1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a highly integrated single chip satellite set-top box with an integrated tuner, a digital receiver, and various audio and video backend circuits and other circuits including a USB 2.0 Host, and AV security that can be integrated onto a single silicon substrate.
2. Background Art
Set-top boxes are commonly used to receive and decode digital television broadcasts and to interface with the Internet through the user's television instead of a PC. Set-top boxes fall into several categories, from the simplest that receive and unscramble incoming television signals to the more complex that will also function as multimedia desktop computers that can run a variety of advanced services such as videoconferencing, home networking, IP telephony, video-on-demand (VoD) and high-speed Internet TV services.
Conventional set-top boxes are configured so that the analog RF functions are implemented separately from the digital functions of the set-top box. For instance, the analog and digital functions are implemented on separate semiconductor substrates, which increases part-count and the associated cost and assembly time of the set-top device.
What is needed is a set-top box configuration that can be integrated on a single semiconductor substrate.